Fluorinated precursors from which to fabricate amorphous semiconductor material

Claim 1

A method of producing a semiconductor film comprising a solid amorphous semiconductor host matrix with electronic configurations which have an energy gap and a low density of localized states therein; said method comprising the steps of providing a substrate; providing a precursor gaseous mixture including at least one set of compounds chosen from the group consisting essentially of: SiH.sub.4 +F.sub.2 ; SiH.sub.4 +SiF.sub.4 ; SiF.sub.4 +H.sub.2 ; SiH.sub.3 F+H.sub.2 ; SiH.sub.3 F; SiH.sub.2 F.sub.2 +H.sub.2 ; SiH.sub.2 F.sub.2 ; SiHF.sub.3 +H.sub.2 ; SiHF.sub.3 ; SiHCl.sub.3 +F.sub.2 ; SiH.sub.2 Cl.sub.2 +F.sub.2 ; SiH.sub.3 Cl+F.sub.2 ; SiCl.sub.3 F+H.sub.2 ; SiCl.sub.2 F.sub.2 +H.sub.2 ; SiClF.sub.3 +H.sub.2, or combinations thereof with or without n- or p-dopants or band gap modifiers; and depositing on said substrate a solid semiconductor host matrix by the glow discharge decomposition of said precursor gaseous mixtures; whereby there is incorporated in said semiconductor host matrix during the glow discharge deposition thereof a plurality of different, complementary alterant elements.

Claim 2

A method of producing a semiconductor film comprising a solid amorphous semiconductor host matrix with electronic configurations which have an energy gap and a low density of localized states therein; said method comprising the steps of providing a substrate; providing a precursor gaseous mixture including at least one set of compounds chosen from the group consisting essentially of: SiH.sub.4 +F.sub.2 ; SiH.sub.4 +SiF.sub.4 ; SiF.sub.4 +H.sub.2 ; SiH.sub.3 F+H.sub.2 ; SiH.sub.3 F; SiH.sub.2 F.sub.2 +H.sub.2 ; SiH.sub.2 F.sub.2 ; SiHF.sub.3 +H.sub.2 ; SiHF.sub.3 ; SiHCl.sub.3 +F.sub.2 ; SiH.sub.2 Cl.sub.2 +F.sub.2 ; SiH.sub.3 Cl+F.sub.2 ; SiCl.sub.3 F+H.sub.2 ; SiCl.sub.2 F.sub.2 +H.sub.2 ; SiClF.sub.3 +H.sub.2, or combinations thereof with or without n- or p-dopants or band gap modifiers; and depositing on said substrate a solid semiconductor host matrix by the glow discharge decomposition of said precursor gaseous mixtures; whereby there is incorporated in said semiconductor host matrix during the glow discharge deposition thereof a plurality of different, complementary alterant elements.